Los Angeles Dodgers special assistant to the general manager Pat Corrales passed away on Sunday night at the age of 82. Corrales joined the Dodgers front office in November 2012 as a special assistant to the president and had been with the organization for the last 11 years.
“I was fortunate to have worked with Pat for more than 30 years at three franchises and he was instrumental in turning all three into championship organizations,” Dodgers president and CEO Stan Kasten said in a statement.
“He loved mentoring young players and the number of players he influenced is too long to count. Pat truly loved the game of baseball, and we will miss him.”
Gavin Lux also mourned the passing of Corrales through a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.
Legend!! Rest In Peace ❤️ https://t.co/C5J96CNUF4
— Gavin Lux (@TheRealGavinLux) August 28, 2023
Corrales was a true baseball lifer as he signed his first MLB contract out of high school with the Philadelphia Phillies in 1959. He played in the big leagues for nine years with the Phillies (1964-1965), St. Louis Cardinals (1966), Cincinnati Reds (1968-1972) and San Diego Padres (1972-1973).
Corrales began his coaching career with the Texas Rangers in 1976 and would become their manager two years later. He compiled a lifetime 572-634 record as manager of the Rangers (1978-1980), Phillies (1982-1983) and Cleveland Indians (1983-1987).
Corrales, who became the first manager of Mexican-American descent, also served as a coach for the New York Yankees (1989), Atlanta Braves (1990-2006) and Washington Nationals (2007-2008, 2009 and 2011).
Corrales won a World Series championship with the Braves in 1995 and another title with the Dodgers in 2020.
Dodgers held moment of silence for Pat Corrales
The Dodgers held a moment of silence for Corrales prior to their series opener against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday. “Pat was a great man. He was a friend, he was a baseball lifer and he was a winner,” manager Dave Roberts said.
“I got him more at his later age, where he was a lot softer than he was as a young fiery player or manager. He always took time for me. I loved our conversations. This guy just loved baseball.”
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